that come to him in the name of the Lord. Their Feet are Dirty and far from Lovely Their Affections are Earthly and all for the World And their Conversations are Disorderly or at best no more than Ordinary Such is our Accusation And we are sorry That there is too much Truth in the Charge We Confess it We Bewail it We beg Pity and Pardon from God and Man for it We have the Treasure in Earthen Vessels And our Hearts hang too Near the Ground And our Lives are too Dissonant from the holy Gospel which we preach But then let me tell you my Brethren That you may gather Consolation even from that which is the Matter of our Humiliation That the most High God is pleas'd to Speak to you by men of like Passions with yourselves Which is a Favour from the Lord that his People of old were very Importunate for Exod. 20.19 They said unto Moses Speak thou with us and we will hear But let not God speak with us lest we dye If then we are no more than Ordinary men yet you are to own it as an Extraordinary Mercy from God That he will graciously Vouchsafe to Treat with you by your Peers And instead of Disdaining us for our Weakness It will beseem you to Thank him for his Kindness To shew you Hopes of Salvation on this side that Perfection which is not Attained even by those whom he Sends to Call and invite others to Aspire after it And where you cannot see any Recommendation in us Yet let us find some fair Reception for our Commission Sake for our Message Sake and for your Souls Sake Seeing your Salvation is Concern'd in our Application For we Publish Salvation and say unto Zion Thy God Reigneth Whether his Salvation shall openly Appear yet before the End of the World and his Kingdom Gloriously shew it self here upon Earth We cannot tell We dare not Determine What God can do We know As Improbable as ever things may look But what he will do To Advance his Church above all even in the Eye of this World We leave in the Secrets of his Councel Who knows Whether after all the great Turns of Affairs that we have Seen there will not yet be a greater Turn than ever the World Saw Whether we may not expect yet a further Compleating of that Prophecy Isa 2.2 It shall come to pass in the Last days That the Mountain of the Lord's house shall be Established in the Top of the Mountains and shall be Exalted above the Hills And all Nations shall Flow to it And as one Effect of that Glorious Change it is said Ver. 4. They shall alter the property of their Martial Instruments and not Learn War any more But Antipathies shall be Reconciled and the most Noxious Creatures shall not Hurt nor Destroy in all his Holy Mountain Chap. 11.9 And he knows in what Sense that has been or shall be fulfilled which the Lord shew'd to his Chosen Servant S. John in Vision Rev. 21.2 The Holy City New Jerusalem coming down from God out of Heaven prepared as a Bride Adorned for her Husband The Glorious things spoken of the City of God there and in the Prophets seem to want a further Accomplishment even in this World than ever yet has been However we may be bold to take up Solomon's Confidence Eccles 8.12 Surely I know it shall go well with them that Fear God that Fear before him So Himself has bid us Assure 'em Isa 3.10 Say ye to the Righteous It shall be well with them And Chap. 32.17 18. The Work of Righteousness shall be Peace and the Effect of Righteousness Quietness and Assurance for ever And my People shall dwell in a Peaceable Habitation and in Sure Dwellings and in quiet Resting places They have long time seem'd to have the Worst But in the Issues of things they shall for certain have the Best of it and be the Rising People after all To Reign with Christ and Sit Enthron'd in his Kingdom Yea their Advancement with their Redemption is drawing Nigh And while they Look to the Faithful and True that has Promised Waiting for the Salvation of God They shall not be Ashamed of their Hope But find all turning in their Favour to make 'em Great and Glorious for ever For they are the Temple of the Living God As God hath said I will Dwell in them and Walk in them And I will be their God and they shall be my People 2 Cor. 6.16 Thy God reigneth Carries all in it For if he be Ours we are His. And when he shews Himself Like Himself We shall then be also Like him And not only Gaze on but Share in his Glory For our part As the best Preparation to this Future Salvation Let us be in care to Secure to our selves another Salvation at present That is To be Saved from our Sins and from the Love and course of this present evil World. O let us Hearken and Yield to the Gospel of Peace and take the way that it puts us upon to make our Agreement with Heaven and Close up our Peace with God in this day of Grace And then we may comfortably look for Better things than any we are able now to Describe or Imagine And whatever be the Manner of the Coming of our Lord's Kingdom we may be sure That Come it shall And when it Comes put every Penitent Believing Soul into Possession of such Blessed Unspeakable Attainments as no Eye hath Seen nor Ear Heard nor any Heart of Man can Conceive And now that the most High who Rules in the Kingdoms of men has been pleas'd to give us some Preludium of what may be hereafter and a joyful Specimen of his Over-ruling Power in Fashioning all the Hearts of the Sons of men and bringing the most Distant and Divided close together Now that after all the Resentments Preparations and Hostilities Jacob and Esau have kindly Met and Shaken Hands and Struck up a Happy Vnion And the Gracious Lord has not only Exceeded our Hopes but his own Promise To make our Enemies at Peace with us Though our Ways have not been Pleasing to him O how shall we receive the Kindness sent from Heaven And how shall we use the Peace granted on Earth Shall we fall into their Absurdity who are Sullen and little Pleas'd That God has done us Good against their Wills Or shall we run into their Extravagance who know not how to express their Transports but in the Wantonness of Bruits full Fed or the Wildness of Heathens running Mad Shall we go on to Kick at our only Friend To Grieve his Spirit that has Eas'd ours and prepare for Battel with him who has given us Peace God forbid We should so Thank him for Sparing and Saving us God forbid We should shew such Cursed Fruits of all the precious Seed he has Sown amongst us Like a People not only Foolish and Vnwise but Incorrigible and Desperate But if any Goodness will Oblige us If the dearest Love and Mercy will Win us O let that which God even our own God has now done for us Gain upon us and Prevail with us To throw down the Arms that we have taken up against Heaven The Known Wilful Sins that bid Defiance to our Maker and our Judge And be Reconciled unto God Seek his Peace Keep in his Love Live to his Honour and also in such good Understanding and fair Agreement with one another That the God of Peace and Love may still be with us and Keep off all Evils from us and Rejoice over us to do Good to us and never be Weary to Express all his Kindness upon us To him let us Lift up our Hearts and make the Oblation of Ourselves together with our Thanks Praise waiteth for thee O God in Zion And in thy Temple should every one speak of thy Glory And having entred thy Gates with Thanksgiving and into thy Courts with Praise We desire to Continue the Sacrifice of our Thanks which is the due Tribute that we come hither at this time to pay unto the God of our Lives the Lord that has been so Favourable to our Land. For thou Lord hast made us Glad through thy Work we will Triumph in the Works of thy hands Thou hast been Mindful of us Thou hast been Good to us and done great things for us In making us a way to Escape out of the Fears and Dangers wherein our Sins involved us Giving Rest to thy People and that Peace which is the matter of our present Rejoycing before thee According to thy Name O Lord so is thy Praise to the Ends of the Earth And above all the Nations of the Earth are we Oblig'd to Magnify the Distinguishing Mercy of our God who has shew'd us such Marvellous Kindness in a highly-favour'd Land Turn'd away thy Anger and our Dread Saved us from the Sword Bless d thy People with Peace and compass'd us about with Songs of Deliverance Thou art our God and we will Praise thee Thou art our God and we will Exalt Thee and give Thanks to thy Name and Rejoice in the Riches of thy Grace and all the Wonders of thy Mercy to us O that we may give thee the Glory due to thy Name That not only our Tongues may speak of thy Righteousness and thy Salvation But that our Souls may be Joyful in the Lord and our Hearts so fixed that in them we may make Melody and Praise the Lord with all our Hearts and Glorify thy Name for evermore Yea as thou hast given us Peace So we beseech thee Grant us thy Grace to Express the Truth of our Thanks By walking before thee all our days in the Uprightness of our Hearts Devoting ourselves and all we are and all that we Have to Serve and Please our God Through Jesus Christ our Lord. To whom with the Eternal Spirit proceeding from Thee and thy Son be Blessing and Glory and Wisdom and Honour and Power and Might ascrib'd by us and by all the Israel of God World without end Amen FINIS
Laws our Liberties and Properties but our Religion and our Lives We went in Jeopardy of New Lords that would have left us no Choice but Popery or Martyrdom But the present League has rid our Breasts of those Apprehensions Because it Secludes him that pretends a Right to Enslave us and Enervates his Hopes of playing an After-Game And this very Ease to our Minds Beloved Is it not better than Thousands of Gold and Silver To have our Affairs put in such a Setled Posture that we are not like to Out-live the blessed Advantages which we have for our Souls That we do not go with our Lives in our hands and that which should be Dearer to us all than our Lives Tottering and ready to tumble down That the Noises of Guns and Drums and Trumpets which were like the hideous Shrieks of the Dying or as hollow Groans and astonishing Roarings from the Dead Are become now Musick in our ears and only the Symbols and Expresses of our Festivity and Rejoycing This is a Change whereof we cannot but be Glad And O that we may acknowledge it with such a Grateful Sense as we ought to the Lord our God! O that we may abound in his Praise who has Eas'd us of our Fear And be only in Fear now of wronging the Mercy by which we have been so sweetly Reliev'd and so greatly Oblig'd 2. The Advantages which this Peace brings us are for both Worlds And 1. For the Present You are at Liberty now My Brethren to Enjoy your Own And may look upon it as Yours and take Encouragement to Till your Lands and follow your Trades As hoping that you shall inherit the Benefit and not Labour only for Others nor have the Bread which you have Earn'd Snatch'd out of your Mouths But see Peace as the Root producing the Fruits of Plenty For making Peace in our Borders is a Means to fill us with the finest of the Wheat Psal 147.14 And after Peace be within thy Walls follows Prosperity be within thy Palaces Psal 122.7 When every one may pursue their Occasions without Disturbance And not be taken off for the Defence of their Country nor Plunder'd by Soldiers nor fall a Prey to Pyrates nor be Eaten up by the Enemies that lay all Desolate For what a sad and fearful Community of Goods is made by War that leaves no Property but what can be maintain'd by the Longest Sword and the Strongest Arm But Peace sets a Fence about your Possessions and makes better Intrenchments and Fortifications in your Defence than what can be rais'd by the biggest Armies and multitudes of Pioneers Now Seas are Open and Commerce on the Wheels and Men put in Heart to use their Hands and bestir themselves with Courage and Alacrity in promoting their Concerns and Polishing themselves and all their Appurtenances as a Prosperous and Happy People Thus for the Present World. And 2. Peace gives great Advantages if it be well us'd for the World to come To make Religion as well as Trading Thrive and Flourish To give Rulers Leisure and Opportunity better to Inspect and Regulate their People at Home when their Thoughts and themselves are not so Engag'd and taken up Abroad To set themselves against the Intestine Domestick Enemies The Atheism and Impiety The Profaneness and Debauchery that occasion such Pangs and Convulsions in the Bowels of the Nation And threaten us with Worse things yet from an Angry God than any have befallen us from the hands of Man. And truly if there be no Healing here there will be yet no Remedy but our Portion after all must be Misery If we cannot forbear to Fight with Him that makes our Enemies at Peace with us If we must still in our Oaths and Curses and all our Ungodly Provoking Carriage Let fly at Heaven after we have got the Peace on Earth and turn the richest Blessing all to Pride and Wantonness to Luxury and Riot and requite the Lord that has done all for us only with Drinking the Deeper and Swearing the Faster Will the Righteous and Jealous God Endure it And will he not be Avenged on such a People as this Let 'em be never so Frolick and Jocund at the Peace alas There 's no Peace to them They are quite out and all to Pieces with the God of Heaven And instead of any Healing they do but make the matter still worse and worse And all their present Quiet and Prosperity is but a little Calm and Sunshine before the most dreadful Storm Fire and Brimstone a horrible Tempest and the Blackness of Darkness which they must Endure for ever But it is to another End that God sends us Peace Beloved To engage us to be Better and not Embolden us to go all to Naught The Design of Heaven in Saving us from our Enemies and from the hands of them that Hate us You have often heard from Luke I. 71 74 75. That we might Serve our Lord without Fear of them In Holiness and Righteousness before him all the days of our Life That we should Resent his Kindness in Grateful Hearts and Sing his Praise and cheerfully Devote our selves to his Worship And set it in our Hearts to Live Holily unto him that has so abundantly Obliged us Thus shewing the good Use we make of his Benefits That we do not Forget what he has done and what we have to do and that we dare not Rebel against him with his own Indulgence to us But Abhor so fouly to Misbehave our selves towards him after all the sweet Engagements his Love has laid upon us And O what Encouragement have we now to Serve our God in the Gladness of our Hearts when he has Rais'd our Sinking State and so Secur'd our Hazardous Effects when he has a new Confirm'd to us the Charter of all our dear Enjoyments and answer'd us even in the Wishes of our Hearts When he has given us the thing that we Long'd for and Bless'd his People with Peace When the Dread is remov'd that Chill'd our Spirits and Shrunk up the Powers of our Souls When our Minds are at Rest and an overflowing Tide of Joy Dilates and enlarges our Hearts Then we have the inviting Opportunity set before us to serve our Lord with Gladness and to make a worthy Progress in his Holy ways when we have nothing to Interrupt and Annoy us no Concern of Invading Armies to fill our Heads and Distract our Thoughts Then not only the Obligation is laid upon our Ingenuity to express our Thankfulness to the Lord of Love in ways meet for his Acceptance But a Price is also put into our hands to be Improved for the Glory of our great Deliverer that we should chearfully Abound in his Work and addict our selves to advance the Interests of his Kingdom together with our own Salvation And in Living to his Praise Finish our course with Joy. And thus we may make the present Peace Subservient to our future Bliss But one Consideration more we have to
the Hope and Support The sure Hold and Everlasting Consolation of all that Vnderstand themselves and the Gospel way of finding Rest for their Souls And whoever would know the things of their Peace e're they be Hid from their eyes They must quit all other Pleas and Confidences in the World and be glad to cast Anchor here and Trust their All in this Bottom For he that Believeth not whatever else he does The Wrath of God abideth on him But whosoever Believes on the Name of the Son of God shall not perish but have Everlasting Life Joh 3.16 and last Verse 'T is only by the Merit of his Blood that we have our Pardon and therefore only by Faith in the same Blood that we can have our Peace 'T is this Heavenly Balm alone that can Cure the Diseased Mind And this is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Glad Tidings of the Gospel To Preach Peace by Jesus Christ the Lord of all Acts 10.36 By him is Preached the Forgiveness of Sins and by him all that Believe are Justified from all things from which they could not be Justified by the Law of Moses Acts 13.38 and 39. And this it is that makes him so Dear and Precious to all Believers And his Feet even upon Mount Calvary White and Red with his Innocence and Sufferings So Beautiful in their eyes Because they Trod the Wine-press of Gods Wrath alone and bore all that which else must have fallen on the Sinners themselves to Sink 'em for ever And this also makes even the Inferior Ministers sent by this great Messenger of Heaven so Welcome to all his Faithful People Because they come upon the like Errand To Proclaim their Peace with God through Faith in his Blood. For to the Ministers of Christ S. Paul applies this very Text Rom. 10.15 How Beautiful are the Feet of them that preach the Gospel of Peace and bring Glad Tidings of Good things Their Feet importing their Divine Mission and their Fervor in delivering the Will of their Lord are commended here not so much for their Strength or Nimbleness as their Beauty Because they Draw Men to the Faith of Christ not with Dread or Force but with the Sanctity of Life the Sweetness of Persuasion and the Power of their Doctrine And they come upon the Mountains too Through great Opposition in the way of their Ministry where so many withstand 'em and the Devil often raises Persecution against ' em Yet nothing shall stop 'em But they will Publish the Gospel to all and lay the Salvation of their Lord in Common That every one whom they can possibly prevail with may enjoy the Blessed Benefit And therefore to the Faithful none are so Gracious and Amiable None whom they more Admire or have a greater Veneration and Affection for They Receive 'em as the Ambassadors of the King of Glory and cry like the Damsel Acts 16.17 These men are the Servants of the most High God who shew to us the way of Salvation â—o high an Honour and singular Kindness have they for 'em They could as the A postle speaks Gal. 4.15 if possible even pluck out their own Eyes to give 'em to their Preachers Yea for their Lives like Priscilla and Aquila Rom. 16.3 they could lay down their own Necks So Surprizing so Joyful is the News of Everlasting Salvation by Jesus Christ to poor Sensible Sinners That they think they can never sufficiently express their Gratitude their Respects their Cordial Inclination to the Dear Messengers of it But Wicked and Worldly men are not so fond of ' em They give 'em but a very Cold Reception if not the Rough Handling and would more Thank 'em to be Quiet than to Deliver their Message They Despise 'em as Impertinent Busy-bodies Yea they Resist 'em as the Troublers of Israel And whoever will adventure to do as God commands him that is Cry aloud and not Spare Must expect to be called A man of Strife and Contention Though he be never so Fair in his Carriage and have no personal Quarrel with any one in the World. They Except not only against our Preaching but our very Calling as Supervaneous and a Nuisance to the World. And indeed one that meant to be Faithful in it would never meddle with the Thankless Office among such Ill-willers to the Lord's Messengers But chuse rather to be a contemptible Dunghil-raker than a Conscientious Impartial Minister To be Scorn'd and Huff'd by Lordly Sinners and nothing but Maligned and struck at by the Conscious Offenders Were we not assur'd That our Judgment were with the Lord and our Work with our God And did we not hope for infinitely better Rewards than their Good Graces Who can Quarrel the very Message of Peace Because it does not include a Peace for them with all their Sins Because it Rouzes their Worldly Nests and will not suffer 'em here to set up their Rest Nor Bolster 'em up in all the Prophaness and Libertinism wherein they are Resolved to Persist The very Gospel it self is an Offence and then no wonder if its Ministers be an Eye-sore to ' em A Lewd Ungodly Sinner thinks he has not a worse Enemy than a Sound and Zealous Preacher No for such do find him out and put him to Shame and fill him with Dread They are his Disturbers his Tormentors He cannot Love He does not like ' em He could wish 'em all utterly Silenc'd His Conscience cannot Sleep for their Barking Away with 'em They put him out of Patience They drive him even to his Wits end Their Message how Sweet and Relishing soever to some 't is to him nothing but the Burden of the Lord All Briars and Thorns A heavy Doleful Story too Grievous for him to Bear it He Complains as the Man did of the Delphick Oracle You never give a Comfortable Answer But the Oracle reply'd You never come to me till your Case is past Remedy And may not Christ's Ministers so tell the Agrieved Sinner You run your Soul upon Desperate Streights and still keep up your Rebellion against Heaven And then you are angry That we will not Preach Peace and Prophecy none but Smooth things when alas No such things belong to you And then is it your Ministers Fault or Yours if nothing but Speaking Lyes will Please you and that which Obliges all the Generation of God's Children Offends you If you will Out-run your own Mercies and nothing but make Rods for your selves O how can we help your Trouble We would be as Glad to Speak Peace as you to Hear it For that is our Message and it Grieves us when we cannot give you a Share in it But yet we dare not Speak it where the Lord has not Spoken it Yea where he has Forbidden it and Threatned us with Woe to us If we Harden the Wicked and Strengthen him in his Wickedness by Promising him Life But Reason as we will The prejudicate Caviller alledges Reason for Refusing the Messengers